Hokkaido Shinkansen

On March 26, Shinkansen will reach Hokkaido, the northernmost island in Japan.

It has been a national dream to connect all the four main islands by Shinkansen since the first Tokaido line opened in 1964 just in time for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Now the three islands, Honshu (the main island), Kyushu (the southern island) and Hokkaido (the northern island) can be reached by the fast and comfortable bullet train service.

My father decided to make a special family trip using Shinkansen when I was a primary school student. I was excited, wondering if the scenery out of the train window would be a blur, as they said the train would go so fast. I am still excited when I take a Shinkansen. I remember taking lots of photos of Mt. Fuji, and wondering why most businessmen on the train wouldn’t even look up. The 2011 movie ‘I wish’ tells the story of some children trying to use the magical power of Shinkansen to have their wish granted when it reached the southern end of Kyushu island.

You can fly to Hokkaido, which is a very popular destination for a skiing & hot spring experience.We can now get there in about four hours from Tokyo, for slightly cheaper fees than flights. Of course you can use Rail Pass to make it cheaper.